QUEENSLAND, Australia — Just days away from the end of his six-month stint as "caretaker" of Hamilton Island in Queensland, Mr Southall was stung by a deadly Irukandji jellyfish. The tiny, translucent jellyfish - which measure just 2cm and are very hard to spot in the water - are extremely venomous and stings often result in hospitalisation. "I was enjoying a post Christmas jetski session with some friends at a quiet beach on Hamilton Island and as I climbed off the back of the ski and onto the beach felt a small bee-like sting on my forearm," Mr Southall, 34, wrote on his blog. Within half an hour he started to feel the effects of the venom. "I was feeling pretty hot and sweaty, had a headache and felt pretty sick too, together with pain in my lower back and a tightness in the chest and a really high blood pressure – all classic symptoms of Irukandji syndrome!" In 2002 British tourist Robert Jordon died a few days after being stung by one of the jellyfish and in the same year American tourist Robert King died after being stung. Luckily, Mr Southall was treated before serious symptoms could take hold. "I had a couple of injections which immediately took away the uncomfortable pain I was feeling and I slipped into a comfortable sleep after an hour or so." And he says he has learned his lesson. Anyone entering the waters of the Great Barrier Reef between October and May is advised to wear a full protective swimming suit, advice that Mr Southall had ignored. | | As if to add a punctuation mark to the abject failure of Australia's "Best Job in the World" marketing scheme, Ben Southall described the horror of being stung by a deadly Irukandji jellyfish: "I was feeling pretty hot and sweaty, had a headache and felt pretty sick too, together with pain in my lower back and a tightness in the chest and a really high blood pressure" "I really should have been wearing a full stinger suit, as it recommended at all beaches here at this time of year even if you're in the water for just a couple of seconds as I was!" Mr Southall, of Hampshire, will complete his contract with Tourism Queensland on Dec 31. But his role as an publicity machine for the region will continue. The former charity worker has been appointed Best Job in the World Queensland Tourism Ambassador for the next 18 months, a job which will involve him travelling the world to extol the wonders of Queensland. by Bonnie Malkin |
